I drank a cab and liked it: 2012 Screaming Eagle

WINE TALK
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not a cab fan, probably had 3 or 4 bottles past 20 years though lots of experience before that. Last night Bud blinded us on 2012 Screagle, amazing wine. The texture was like the best of Burgundies, an inch thick of silk, crazy good nose and flavors. Of course I had no idea what I was drinking, thought it Italian based on nose and long neck on blinded bottle. No, I’m not selling the Burgs and buying cabs, though I might sneak into Buzz’ cellar. It was impressive wine.

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Although, on their list for many years, I only tasted it once, in 1994.
I admit it was good wine and I enjoyed it. But it didn’t have any “there” there.
So, tho I’m not a cab guy either, I much preferred the Araujo (Eisele Vnyd.) cabs which were every bit as high in quality but had very clear vineyard character.

And then there’s the price . . .
Best, Jim

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That’s what happen when we get old Alan :slight_smile:. (I will come clean, I drank a Bevan wine last year and enjoyed it.)

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LOL me too. For me it was a bottle of Macdonald. Also I’ve become disillusioned with the burgundy sales racket. If one more person who sells the stuff tells me the next vintage is can’t miss but oh the quantities are minuscule…

I also find the cab is easier to find opportunities to enjoy.

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Thanks for the note Alan. Cool to get some feedback on these wines from someone who doesn’t normally seek out the cult Cali wines.

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Kudos for your honesty, Alan. But I fear this will be fodder for Putin and Lavrov’s narrative that the West is in decline.

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Ha! So…if I show up with one in tow, you won’t slam the door on my face…nice! [highfive.gif]

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I too have only tried it once and had a similar experience with the 2010 SE. It was in a lineup of ten cult CA cabs and it stood out with laser precision, completely different then it’s neighbors. If I had it blind, I might have called something from left field like 2010 Montrose.

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Bring it to the Salon or Ramonet Monty throwdown and be “that guy”.

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The texture of screaming eagle is pretty unique.

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Unique like SQN?

Cheers

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Sqn isn’t unique to me.

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I find flavor, specifically spice, unique in SQN, not texture.

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I’m just glad you found such an affordable and readily available option.

I had similar luck with DRC

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Only screaming I had was an ‘11 paired it with some fried chicken - it crushed

I know QPR is always a facet - but ultimately we live once so I just try to enjoy the glass in front of me

Glad you enjoyed the ‘12. Would be psyched to try another vintage down the line

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I know how you feel:

  • 2016 Maison Albert Bichot Latricières-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru (3/18/2021)
    From a 4 ounce bottle that was poured from a 750 on Monday or Tuesday and delivered to my house for a virtual Zoom tasting with Bruce Sanderson. Understand that when I opened this bottle and took a small pour at 6 pm on Thursday, I had 2 Three-packs of Scarecrow, two 6 packs of SQN and a case of Saxum in my foyer that were delivered in the past few days but I had not yet carried them down to the cellar. That will give you a rough idea of my normal taste preference.

This wine was outstanding. Not cheap, but if I were forced to drink this as my only pinot for the rest of my life, I would not mind. The nose was beautiful with sweet flowers. Yes, I know sweet is not an aroma, but you know what I mean. The palate was a soft fruit salad with some back end tannin that I made out as spicy. There was acidity that, depending on which sip I was evaluating, had a light lemon curd citrus component or a granny smith apple component. The fruit was mainly soft cherry with other light fruits like plum.

Based on the CT volume stats, this is rare and apparently only recently imported into the US. Sanderson mentioned this, but I do not recall why it is so rare. Too bad. May explain the price. (94 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Jay, you are in trouble now. You may be disappointed to know that many of my earliest Burgs that helped turn me into a Burg lover were in the late 70s and early 80s from Domaine Clos Frantin (a domaine owned by Bichot).

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The Long Depaquit “La Moutonne” used to be a phenomenal wine.

And the Vaillons was very nice.

But I haven’t seen those wines in years.